Who Needs Fire?

Wujin Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-19T17:37:00.004+08:00

Okay, so I’ve been really bad about updating my blog. I have decided that my New Year’s Resolution will be to update my blog much more often. I decided to get a head start and get in all of the Holiday Craziness that’s been going on here.

Last week, I began preparing for my annual Christmas Parties. I started baking cookies last Tuesday and continued baking until Saturday afternoon. I also made chis and salsa, and BBQ meatballs. I bought about 55 pounds of candy online too!

This past weekend I hosted two Christmas Parties – one on Saturday night for friends and then one on Sunday for my students.

There were about 80 people in my house on Saturday night. It was a blast! It really felt like the holidays! All of the friends and family that I am closest to over here gathered together and had a great time. We had games, great conversations, and gifts. We also had a lot of music, not just from my computer, but 2 guitars, a beatbox, chimes, and a violin! The last of my guests left my apartment at about 12:30pm! It was such a great night!

I was up early the next day, cleaning and preparing for the all-day student Christmas Party. About 300 to 400 students invaded my apartment. We played games, listened to music, and took a lot of pictures. Needless to say, all of the candy and food that I had prepared vanished into thin air!

Some of My Students and Me

Today, I was back in the classroom. I’m really looking forward to next weekend. I’ll be getting together with my very close friends and celebrating Christmas in the traditional way – gift exchange, dinner, music, and maybe even eggnog. Whatever happens, it really feels like the Christmas Spirit has gripped me and everyone around me!

"Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it white."

-Bing Crosby

Time to Relax, Finally...

2010-10-23T10:15:00.000+08:00

Wow, I am so relieved now! These past few weeks have been so difficult! I have been teaching a lot of hours and finishing paperwork for the study abroad program. But now, it is finally finished. As I type this, I am thinking about and praying for my students. Right now, they are taking the ACT exam. I am not allowed to be there, and it seems like the worst kind of torture.

Over the past half-year I have really gotten to know and connect with my students. They have been such a blessing.

After today, they and I will have a week break from school. I am really looking forward to it. I am planning to hang out with some of them during the break. It is a great chance to get to know them better and to talk about ‘life’ in general.

I’m also planning to have a football tailgate party for them. I am looking forward to teaching them about this part of the culture. There will be projector, face-painting, one-syllable foods, and some awesome college football.

One week from now, we will begin the final twelve weeks of the program. I will be so sad when they leave, but also excited for them and the respective futures that they will be walking into.

Things at the high school are also going well. I have had an average of about 20 students hanging out at my house on Sunday’s. It has also been a lot of fun to get to know them.

My only problem over the next few days, will be trying to figure out how to spend my free time. I think I’ve almost forgotten how to relax.

My back is continuing to improve. It still hurts a little, but it has come a long way since the beginning of the month. The doctor told me to be patient because this type of injury will take time to heal. He also told me not to overexert myself – no sports, no weight-lifting, no running, or lifting heavy things. It’s driving me crazy! I want to get back to my normal routine, but I think that God may be trying to teach me patience.

So, over the next week my plan is to listen, to rest, and to reflect. It should be an interesting week.

“He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Back to Basics

2010-10-05T09:28:00.002+08:00

Lately, things have been more than just a little chaotic. First, we are coming to the end of our second level in the study abroad program. I am starting to go crazy with all of the paperwork that has been coming my way. We have to have it all turned in and finalized by next week. I have no idea how I am going to get it all done, but I’m going to somehow.

Also, I have another problem. A few weeks ago I hurt my back playing basketball. One of my friends recommended that I go to see a traditional Chinese bone doctor. I did, and as a result it got so much worse. I was in bed for three days, unable to walk. Finally, I decided to go to Shanghai to see a western doctor. He took some x-rays and told me that I have two compressed discs in my lumbar area. One of those bulging discs just happens to be sitting right on top of my sciatic nerve. So, every once in a while I feel a lightning bolt shoot down my leg. He told me that it might take up to a month to recover. It is so not cool.

To add insult to injury, I have just recently gotten a cold. I’ve also discovered that sneezing and coughing is just about the worst thing that you can do when you have two compressed discs in your lower back.

I’ve really been going through the gambit of emotions. Sometimes I’m really optimistic and other times I am really down. Through it all, I have been praying and trying to figure out what God is trying to teach me. Please keep me in your prayers.

"Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that w see ourselves as we really are."

-Arthur Golden

Just Rollin' With It...

2010-08-29T17:28:00.004+08:00

Well, I have been back at school for two weeks. So far it has been busy, to say the least. It has been a little difficult to find my bearings in my study abroad classes. The classes are twelve weeks long, and I had a substitute cover the first three weeks, so I could go back to the US. It has been a difficult transition, but I am finally in control of my two classes.

There has also been an added complication. I have also been asked to teach two more. Our staff lost our math teacher. As a result, I am now teaching a social sciences class and an algebra/trigonometry class. My friend Ted has also offered to help. He is teaching a statistics and business math class. I am glad too, because that stuff is beyond my understanding. I would feel much more comfortable teaching calculus, and I might end up doing just that, if we cannot find another math teacher.

I have not yet started teaching at the high school. The students returned today, and they will have to go through a week of military training before they begin their regular classes. I am eager to start though. I love starting with new students. Their curiosity about foreigners is incredible. I love being able to bash their stereotypes and being a good ambassador.

The next few weeks are going to be very busy, but I know that I’ll get through it. I am just happy that I don’t have to really on my own strength; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do it. I am going to have to really on His strength… I am going to be handed 38 research papers tomorrow. Even though it is difficult, it is still a joy. I really do love my kids!

"Chose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

-Confucius

Back At It Again...

2010-08-15T12:28:00.001+08:00

A few days ago, I took yet another plane ride back to China. For those of you who don’t know, the trip from Chicago to Shanghai takes about 14.5 hours. So, I had plenty of time to reflect. I can’t believe that I am going back to China for a fourth year. It really doesn’t feel as if it’s been that long. The past three years have been amazing. I really believe that it is what God designed me to do. The adventure and fulfillment that I’ve felt in these recent years completely shadows the six years of job-hopping and searching that I did before I came here.

I am so excited that I will be reunited with the thirty students in the study abroad program tomorrow. I’ve only been back for three days, but I start teaching on Monday. I suspect that the energy and excitement in my classes will be more than enough to combat the jetlag that woke me up at 3am today.

In just one more month, I’ll be meeting the next sophomore class; there will be around 800 new students. I love to teach them. They are always so curious about foreigners and always have hundreds of questions.

I’m also so glad to see my friends and co-workers again. Although I’ve only been gone for a month, it feels like it has been longer.

I am happy to be back, but at the same time I really miss home. It is such a strange thing to live in two places. Whichever place I happen to be in, I am able to be fully focused and dialed-in. Although I miss the other place immensely, I am given the strength to be fully where I am. I know without that provision, I would not be able to do it, but I have an amazing Father who just loves to provide for his kids.

Well, I hear the bell. Let round four begin.

“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.”

-Ivy Baker

Last Weekend in Shanghai

2010-05-28T11:19:00.002+08:00

Last week, I had a wonderful opportunity to go to Shanghai. One of my best friends was holding her wedding on Saturday. Now, I have been to Chinese weddings before, and have not really been all that interested. Once you have been to one, you’ve been to them all. This one though, was quite different.

First of all, my friend is very much Chinese, but has always been interested in western culture. This came out in her wedding. She had what appeared to be almost a typical western wedding. The only exception of course, is that it was all in the Chinese language. The wedding was great. There was a choir that was singing. They said their vows before God and all of the witnesses, and of course a kiss to seal the deal.

It was a great time!

I also took the opportunity to stay in Shanghai for a few days. A few of my friends who are new to teaching in China asked if I would take them around Shanghai and show them some of the sights. So, we spent a few days doing all of the typical tourist stuff. We went to the Bund, the knock-off markets, Yu Yuan Gardens, and Nanjing walking street. It was really quite fun I hadn’t done any of those things in a while.

Another thing that we noticed is that the Shanghai World Expo is in full swing. Within the first two weeks of the Expo there were over two million visitors. As a result, the city is packed. I would love to go to the Expo, but I am planning to go much later after the some of the craziness dies down.

That’s all for now!

“The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing."”

Daniel J. Boorstin

My Wonderful Class 12

2010-04-23T14:39:00.005+08:00

Okay, so i've been horrible about keeping up with this blog... But hey, let's not dwell on that.

Have you ever had a day when something just truly touched your heart? I had one of those days today.

Today started just like any other day. I taught my new study abroad class this morning. We focused on the pronunciation of "th". Did you know that there is a vocalized "th" sound like in that, and a non-vocalized "th" sound like in thank? Right... Like you really want to know...

Then I went to lunch. After lunch, I taught one of my favorite classes. They were doing group presentations about American Holidays. One group did a presentation about Valentine's Day. After they finished, they gave me a big folded paper heart and 58 little paper hearts. All 58 students signed the big heart, and they all shouted "I love you!"

I absolutelly love my students. I truly believe that I have the best students in the entire world.

What a great day!

"Once you have learned to love, you will have learned to live."
-Unknown

I'm Back!!!

2010-03-05T22:00:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone!!!

I am back on the air! It has been a long time! I have had many issues with some certain people trying to prevent a lot of people from getting to certain places on the internet, if you know what I mean. For now, I have found a way around it. So, I will once again be updating as often as I can to let you all know what has been happening with me.

I just finished teaching my first full week since the holiday ended. The Chinese Spring Festival was about three weeks ago. Our students are less than enthusiastic to be back, and so are many of the teachers. The good news is that we all got some good down time. My students look well rested. Most of them spent their holiday just being kids – playing basketball and computer games, watching TV, sleeping, etc.

I am so glad to see them again. Many of them have been finding me to hang out and talk during their rare and busy free time.

It is so easy for me to think of it as “business as usual” at times, but the time that I have been here has been a stream of blessings. I am so thankful for my job, and I love my work.

Well, it's great to be plugged in again! I’ll be talking to you soon! Take care!

“It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer.”
-Albert Einstein

Day 5 - Antigua

2009-08-26T10:59:00.004+08:00

The next port was Antigua. It was a very easy and relaxing day. We didn’t have any excursions planned. We woke up a little later, and ate breakfast.

After that we decided to go look around Antigua. We all got off the boat and started looking around the small shops that were near the boat. My Mom, Mary, and Cindy did some more shopping, while Kavita and I decided to look around town a little.

When we docked, I noticed a church that looked to be quite old. I wanted to go and check that out first. We walked about a half mile, until we came to it. It was amazing. It was St. John’s Cathedral. It was built in 1845.

The architecture was unbelievably intricate. The wood carvings and inlays were unlike anything I’d ever seen. The stained glass windows were also masterpieces in and of themselves.

Plaques and commemorative artifacts adorned every wall of the church. Most of them placed there in honor of the people who sacrificed and labored to build the church.

As I was walking around, I could feel the history. I tried to imagine what a service must have been like a hundred and fifty years ago. I was impressed that the churches very existence shows that God’s Kingdom continues to grow and to expand, and that it can never be stopped. It was an extraordinary experience.
Outside there was also a graveyard – a further testament to the sacrifices of those who helped to build the cathedral.

After that we walked around town and stopped at a restaurant to eat. Then we went back to the ship and hung out for a while. I went to the sun deck and took some pictures and read for a while. That evening we had dinner, listened to the band, and then turned in.

“Houses are built to live in, not to look on; therefore, let use be preferred before uniformity, except where both may be had.”
-Francis Bacon

Day 4 - St. Lucia

2009-08-26T10:38:00.007+08:00

St. Lucia was our next stop. I was very excited about this port because we had planned a hike in the rainforest. We got up early again and ate breakfast, and prepared for what was listed to be a moderately difficult hike.

We met our tour guide as we got off the boat. We got into a van and drove for almost an hour. Along the way we drove through several small towns and saw beautiful scenic landscapes. We drove out to the end of a road where a walking trail began.

We were off. The hike was not too difficult. The trail was a little rocky and we had to be careful where we stepped. Slipping was a very treacherous thing to have happen, because we were so close to the edge of a cliff at times. The forest was incredibly lush. Vegetation growing on top of vegetation. The plants were relentless in their growth. We also saw several fruit trees that are used by the natives for various cuisine and crafts.

Eventually, we came to a small waterfall that emptied into a natural pool formed by rocks. I jumped in the pool without taking off any clothes. I was sweating from the humidity, and figured wet clothes might be an advantage on the way back. I got up close to the waterfall and posed for a few pictures.

After we got out, we went to a small picnic area where the tour guides had set up a buffet that allowed us to sample several of the fruits that could be found in the rainforest – star fruit, mangos, coconut, as well as a pastry that was made with coconut.

After that we hiked back to the van. We were taken to a few places that really showcased the beauty of the island. At the first stop I bought some great suveniers too. The second place we went to was called Hurricane Hole. It was a bay that was almost completely enclosed by tall hills. It was beautiful. We also drove past a rock formation that was used in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Hurricane Hole

From Pirates of the Caribbean

We came back and spent a little more time in the stores near the ship. We had dinner and then spent some time together just talking. We went to bed not worrying about waking up early. The next day would be an easy and relaxed day.

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson

Day 3 - Barbados

2009-08-25T09:30:00.005+08:00

The next morning we got up early and ate breakfast at the buffet. The buffet was quite impressive. Then we were off to explore Barbados.

My Dad and I planned an excursion to go scuba diving, while the girls set up a beach excursion. We met up with the scuba diving company and they drove us to a small boat. There were about twelve people in our group and the dive master told us that we were going to the coral reefs first and then to a place to do a drift dive that had several ship wrecks.

We went to the coral reef walls about two miles off-shore. The water was quite rough. We all jumped in and were told to swim to the marker bouey. The current was so strong that only five people made it to the marker. The current carried the rest of us away. The boat had to come and get us. It was crazy. After that the dive master decided to go to the other site.

This site was close to the shore. There were several ship wrecks and there was some amazing sea life going on and around them. I couldn’t believe how brilliant the colors were. I took a lot of pictures, but the pictures just can’t compare to actually being there. This is one of the better pictures that I took.

When we came back, we looked around the shops near the dock, and met back up with the girls. They said that they also had a great time on the beach.
That night was also the first formal dinner. We all dressed up and went to dinner. We also had some professional pictures taken.

Later we went up to the sun deck and hung out for a while. We also saw a Las Vegas show. It was really fun. It also lasted until about 1am. After that we went back to our rooms to get some sleep.

"Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think..."
-Robert Henri

Day 2 - Sailing

2009-08-25T09:01:00.005+08:00

We woke up in the morning and headed downstairs for breakfast. There were two options for places to eat for breakfast – one was a buffet type set up that offered the typical breakfast fare, and the other was in the fancy dining room. I had almond-crusted French toast. It was amazing. At this point I was beginning to understand what five star dining truly entailed.

The second day of the cruise (Monday) was spent cruising. We weren’t set to arrive in Barbados until Tuesday. This meant that we had to spend the day hanging out on the boat.

One of the things that I wanted to do on this trip was to get a tan; so, I figured that this was the best day to start on that. I went up to the sun deck and listened to some music and read while I was catching some rays. It was going great until I fell asleep. I fell asleep for an hour and a half with my shirt off in the afternoon Caribbean Sun. I got a very bad sunburn. I think I went through a whole can of Solarcaine that week.

We spent the rest of the day looking around the boat. I went to my parent state room later in the afternoon. They had a balcony room. My dad started explaining to me that they were seeing fish that were jumping out of the water and flying. I got my camera and went out to take some pictures. It was quite fascinating. These fish would jump out of the water and flap their fins. The flapping didn’t give them the elevation they needed for free flying, but it did allow them to glide five to ten feet above the water for ten seconds or so. After that they would reenter the water. They were amazing animals.

We also had another great dinner that night. We went to bed early because we had to be ready for an excursion when we docked in Barbados the next morning.

“It is necessary to relax your muscles when you can. Relaxing your brain is fatal.”

-Stirling Moss

Day 1 - All Aboard!

2009-08-15T09:11:00.007+08:00

We woke up somewhere around 9am. We were not allowed to board the boat until 3pm in the afternoon. So, we had some free time. My parents went shopping, and Cindy and Mary hung out at the hotel. Kavita and I decided to walk around a little.

We didn’t know very much about the area that we were in, so we just decided to walk around a little to see if we could find anything interesting. We first came to a small beach. We hung out there for a little while. We took some pictures, looked at some shells, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

After we left the beach, we started walking across a bridge. We saw some kids jumping off of the bridge and into the water. It was about a fifteen-foot drop from the bridge to the water. These kids were diving like pros. They were doing flips and twists and many other kinds of acrobatic jumps.

As we were watching them, I noticed something in the background. It appeared to be a very old wall. It appeared to be about a mile away, and we didn’t have a lot of time before we had to be back to the hotel to check out. We only had about an hour to get there, check it out, and get back.

As we approached it, we could see that it wasn’t a wall, but it was an old Spanish war fort. The gate in front was locked, but there was a one-foot wall beside the gate that we hopped over. It almost felt like we weren’t supposed to be there, but that made it all the more fun.

It was amazing. It had what appeared to be living quarters on the bottom, but the top was all business. There were about eight cannon emplacements aimed in different directions. It had a wonderful view of the ocean. The views were amazing!

It was somewhat sobering thinking about what must have gone on there. I wonder if the soldiers who were posted there so long ago ever paused to notice the beauty around them, or was their only focus the destruction of the enemy.

We then went back to the hotel, and checked out. Then we were off to the ship – The Adventure of the Seas. It was a fourteen-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship. We checked into our rooms, and then looked around. It was so much more than what I expected. I am not really used to luxury, and this ship was set up to indulge every material comfort imaginable.

That night there was a welcome aboard party. There was a live reggae band, dancing, swimming, and amazing views at the night sky.

Later that night we went swimming and sat in the hot tub for a while. It was a great way to end the day. I went back to my room and slept like a baby.

"At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much."

- Robin Lee Graham

The Day Before The Cruise

2009-08-12T07:40:00.005+08:00

Friday was a flurry of activity in my parents’ house. We were packing like crazy people, because we always wait until the last minute. We were also trying to clean up the house a little, so it would be easy when we came home and also so it would be presentable to the people taking care of our cats.

All was going about like you’d expect until about 2pm. My dad was sitting in a chair looking very worried. So, I asked him what was wrong, and he told me he thought that he might have a hernia. We decided to go to a local clinic to get it checked out. The doctor confirmed that he did indeed have a hernia. He said that normally it takes about two weeks to schedule the procedure to repair it. He said that going on vacation wouldn’t hurt it, and told him to be careful. We went home and told my mom and sister about the situation. We prayed and decided to go ahead as we had planned.

It was a long day. I think that I hit bed around 2am. I’m not sure if my mom slept at all. It was quite the early morning. We had to get up at 4:30am to get to the airport on time.
We drove to Mary’s house where we left our car and met up with Kavita. Mary arranged for a limousine to take us to the airport. That was only the second time in my life that I’d ever been in a limousine.

The flight was a little over four hours. We landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico at around 5pm or so.

We checked in at the hotel, and then went to get something to eat. I was excited to introduce my family to a type of Puerto Rican food that I really like – mofongo. It is made from plantains and marinated meat. I don’t think they were all that impressed, but Kavita and I loved it.

We went back to the hotel completely exhausted. I fell asleep around midnight wondering what the next day might bring.

“If I'd known how much packing I'd have to do, I'd have run again.”
-Harry S. Truman

Amazing Vacation

2009-08-12T06:41:00.004+08:00

As you may or may not know, I had the chance to take an amazing vacation this summer. My parents and sister arranged for a family vacation – a cruise to the Bahamas. It was the first family vacation that we’ve had since I was 15 years old. They paid for everything and made all of the arrangements – most of it without my knowledge. They also arranged for me and my sister to take a friend along. One week in the Caribbean visiting 5 ports (Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, and St. Croix) starting in Puerto Rico sounded too good to be true. We left on August 2nd and we just got home this past Sunday. It was incredible! It was an amazing time of rest, fun, adventure, and quality time with the family.

I had never been on a cruise before. In fact, as far out of the country as I’ve ever been was China and Puerto Rico. I did not know what to expect. I was looking forward to going to the different islands to learn about the culture and try the food, as well as, hiking, climbing, swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. I had no idea what the boat would be like.

The boat - The Adventure of the Seas

I was happily surprised in so many ways. I think the best way to talk about it is to split it up into a blog entry for each day. So, get ready for some heavy reading, but stay with me because there were some fun, interesting, and crazy things that happened.

“A good vacation is over when you begin to yearn for your work.”
-Morris Fishbein

Chillin' in the Water

2009-07-09T11:42:00.001+08:00

The last few weeks have been great! I’ve been having some great family and friend time. I’ve also been able to focus on a few things that have been fun.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been able to work out at my parents’ gym for free. I have really been taking advantage of it. I’ve been hitting the gym five times a week for the last two weeks. I am so excited to think that I’ll be able to do it all summer!

I also started taking scuba diving classes this week. I’ve really enjoyed that. It was strange to begin with. I am so used to breathing with my nose, but you can’t use your nose with basic scuba gear. So far, we have only been doing it in a practice pool, but we’ll be going to a lake this weekend. I am so excited about it! After, that I’ll be certified, and I can cross something off of my “Things to do before I die” list. It is so peaceful under water. I'd recomend scuba diving to anyone.

This past weekend, I talked about my experiences teaching in China over the past year. It is so fun to tell people about the really cool stuff that happened this year. I’ll also be talking three or four more times before I go back.

Well, that’s all for now…

“You don't drown by falling in the water-- you drown by staying there.”
-Unknown

Rest and Trust

2009-07-02T00:51:00.000+08:00

Well, it has been a great week! It has been great to be able to spend some time with my parents and close friends. This next week, I am planning to reconnect with more friends, now that the jet lag is finally over.

I also found out that I will not be able to work at the job that I worked at last summer. It seems that they are too far behind in the project that I was working on, and I won’t have enough time to complete it while I am home. This does of course, cause some financial worry, but I am not overly concerned. God has taken care of me so far, and I have no doubt that He will continue to do so. I also think that He has other plans for me this summer. This past school year has been a wild roller coaster ride. There has been good and bad, and with all of that I have found myself exhausted. I really believe that God may be telling me to rest this summer. I am going to use the time to rebuild myself and get charged back up for the next school year.

One really cool thing happened. I was looking for a place to work out. My parents joined a gym a few months ago, so I asked if they could check into the cost of working out there for a few months. They told my parents that I could go there for free! I was so excited! No financial worry there either.

I’m also going to study Chinese very hard this summer. I want to try to learn a lot in these two months.

I also went to the eye doctor yesterday. He told me that the cornea problem that I have is easily solvable. I have opaque spots (like scars) all over the cornea in my left eye. I just have to take two types of eye drops regularly for the next two weeks, and that should clear up my cornea and restore my vision. I was so thankful to hear that!

So, this summer will be a good rest! It will also be used to prepare for what is to come in September. I may not always understand some of the things that God does, but I know that I can trust Him implicitly. His plans are so much better than anything that I could come up with.

“You do not have to be superhuman to do what you believe in.”
-Debbi Fields

Leaving China For The Summer

2009-06-25T20:45:00.012+08:00

Last week was a flurry of activity. It always is when prepare to come back to the States. There is always so much that needs to be done – packing, cleaning, finishing grades, saying goodbye to students and friends, etc. It was also more challenging because some unexpected things happened. One week before I left, an administrator for the study abroad program called me and told me that there would be training for teachers on Monday and Tuesday. I told him that I might not be able to go because I had to prepare for going home. I was also a little annoyed. I hate when they give me so little notice for things like this. Their level of organization leaves so much to be desired. I ended up going on Monday and not going on Tuesday.

Tuesday and Wednesday were crazy. I had about 40 phone calls from people asking me if I could do dinner before I left. I had to tell them all no, and they all seemed so sad. Everyone wanted to say goodbye. They acted as if I were leaving forever and not just going home for a few months.

Wednesday night I also had a surprise party. All 20 of the students that I teach in the study abroad program, 2 of the teachers, and 3 other workers invaded my apartment with food and cake. It was so much fun. We talked, laughed, took pictures, and ate cake and dumplings. There was also a cake fight. Here are some pictures from that.

The Cake

Diggin' in!

After the Cake Fight

Some of the girls ran into my kitchen to escape the cake fight.

Everyone

Thursday, I left to go to Shanghai. I stayed over night there and spent some time with a few close friends. Friday I went to the airport. I was dreading the flight. 13 hours in a plane is torture for someone like me. I am too active. I can sit still for a movie, but after that I have to run around a little. I survived the flight though. I met my parents at the airport in Chicago. It was so good to see them again. We had dinner with my sister before heading back home.

Then I began the long road to recovery from some very ugly jet lag.
It’s so good to be home!

I look back on this school year with fondness as always. It was a year of unprecedented highs and devastating lows. Through it all though, I know that God is in charge and has a plan, and that His plans are so much better than my own. Resting in that is becoming easier than worrying about outcomes that cannot be changed. Faith and Trust – hard lessons to learn, but so worth the work.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

-George Eliot (pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans Cross)

Katherine's Baby

2009-06-17T22:44:00.006+08:00

So, as many of you know, Katherine had her baby on June 6, 2009. He is a very healthy baby boy with a full head of jet-black hair. In case you don’t know, Katherine is one of the Chinese English Teachers at my school. She has been an amazing friend ever since we met almost three years ago. Everyone is excited and celebrating her transition into motherhood.

Last Wednesday, Katherine called me. She told me that one of her American Friends was coming to visit her and see her new baby. She asked me if I would pick her up at the train station and bring her to the hospital. It seemed like it would be easy. I had no idea what she looked like. However, finding a white girl at the train station is easy, because there aren’t too many of them in my town.

So, I went to the train station, and found her easily. It was about nine o’clock at night, and she had to leave the next morning at seven thirty. So, her visit would be very short. She introduced herself (Ellen). We exchanged pleasantries, and then went to find a taxi to go to the hospital.

The taxi driver dropped us of at the hospital, and we were both so excited about seeing the baby that neither of us remembered to take her suitcase out of the trunk. We realized it about two minutes after the taxi left. We called Katherine and told her what had happened, and she asked her husband to call the taxi company and the police.

In the meantime, we were able to see Katherine's baby and talk with Katherine. She was understandably exhausted. I wasn’t able to take pictures that night, because I didn’t want to wake the baby, but I visited Katherine and her family yesterday. Here are some pictures of her baby.

Waking up after a nap

The whole family

It took about two hours, but he found the suitcase (which is a miracle, because most of the time it would be taken by drivers or other passengers). The taxi driver had taken it to the police station soon after remembering that it was still in the trunk.

We had to go to the police station to get it. The policeman told us that we had to wait for a translator to come. He said that he wanted to make sure that all of her belongings were accounted for, and nothing had been taken. We waited for an hour and a half. No translator. He kept telling us ten more minutes. I finally told him that we had to leave. It was already one o’clock in the morning, and I was worried that Ellen wouldn’t get to spend much time with Katherine before her early train. The policeman agreed to let Katherine translate over the phone. Ellen went through her bag and found that everything was there.

After walking out of the police station it was one thirty in the morning. Ellen and I said goodbye and that it was nice to have met. Ellen and Katherine’s husband went back to the hospital, and I took a taxi back home. It was a strange way to bond with a new friend, but hey, is life ever normal?

“If you couldn't find any weirdness, maybe we'll just have to make some!”
-Calvin and Hobbes

Dragon Boat Festival

2009-06-14T19:25:00.007+08:00

Okay, so I am a little behind in blogging. The last two months have been incredibly busy. I’ll start where I left off with the most interesting things.

Two months ago, I started teaching in another program at my school. It is a program to prepare students to study abroad. As luck would have it, I was scheduled to teach the first two morning classes each day. So, in China, that means getting up really early. It did, however, have its benefits. It allowed me to get to know some students very well. This class ended a week ago. I will also be teaching the same students after I return from summer vacation.

Teaching ten extra classes each week was quite difficult. If you consider the prep time and the getting up early thing, it really takes its toll after a while. At the end of May there was a holiday – The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. This gave me and all of the other students three days off. I decided to take advantage of it. I went to Shanghai with some friends and hung out for three days. It was great! We went down to the river and saw the Dragon Boat races. It was quite interesting.

We were also able to see a Chinese Acrobat show. That was really impressive. I was also able to do some of the things that we take for granted in the States. I saw two movies in English (there are no theaters in my city that have English movies). The movies were Star Trek (not bad) and Night at the Museum 2: The Smithsonian (really funny). I also ate Mexican food – again something that my town does not have. It was a truly refreshing time. I have some great friends. Lily, Ted, and Katie really are some great people. They really helped me have a good time and got my mind off of work. I really needed it!

This is really bad! I am looking at my planner to see what things I should have blogged about on here. Please, be patient with me. I’ll be trying to catch up in the next few weeks. Talk to you soon.

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."
-Mark Twain

Unexpected Lunch Guest

2009-05-13T10:47:00.004+08:00

A few days ago, I was planning to meet a friend at a coffee shop. I got on the bus and went downtown. I was about an hour early and thought that I could use the time to catch up on some work. Then something struck me – I hadn’t eaten lunch. Lately I have been very busy, and sometimes I forget to eat. So, I decided to visit the Golden Arches which was near the coffee shop.

I went in, ordered, sat down, and began eating. (In case you’re wondering, McDonald’s taste the same here as it does in the States.) I was eating and reading, and then I noticed a woman come in and sit down at a table in front of me. She did not order anything, and she had a strange look on her face. She looked at all of the people sitting in the immediate vicinity. She studied them closely about a minute for each person. Then came my turn. I could feel her eyes on me, and at first I tried to ignore it. I am used to being stared at because there aren’t too many foreigners in this town. Soon, minutes began to pass, and I became very uncomfortable. I looked up at her, but she didn’t look away. I made several different discreet gestures with my eyes and head, but I could not shake her gaze. She wasn’t smiling or glaring. She just had an expressionless look. I finally gave up and went back to reading.

A moment later, she got up from her table and came and sat down in front of me at my table. I looked at her strangely and let out a confused, “Hello.” She said something in very broken Chinese. I couldn’t make it out. It wasn’t standard Mandarin, and I was sure that it wasn’t the local dialect. I responded by saying that I didn’t understand. As I was speaking, she picked up my glass and started drinking. She probably drank a quarter of its contents. I couldn’t hide my shock. I looked around and saw that everyone else had similar looks of shock, amazement, and even terror. I knew it had to be unusual because Chinese people often try to hide their emotions, and not allow their faces to express what they are thinking. I looked back at her; she had not broken eye contact the entire time she was drinking. She then put the glass down, got up, and walked out the door.

I was speechless, and I couldn’t prevent my mouth from remaining open. I looked around again at the people sitting near me. They had not moved and their expressions also remained the same. I then returned to my senses, and recognized the practical joke opportunity that was in front of me. I pretended to shrug off the incident. I ate another fry, and then picked up the glass, as if to take a drink. Everyone gasped, and three of them stood up. One boy started to run to my table to try to stop me, bumping into a chair as he came. I then stopped moving the glass closer to my face and put it back down on the table. I then smiled and looked around at them. They all started laughing.

I finished eating, and then got up and left. As I was walking away, I was contemplating the incident. I suspected that the girl was autistic. I spoke with a friend later about the incident, and from my description he seemed to think she had Asperger’s Autism. I only wished that she was able to communicate a little better. I would have given her the glass.

"Taken out of context I must seem so strange."
-Ani Difranco

Deep Hurts

2009-05-10T18:02:00.001+08:00

Well, this week was a crazy one. This last Monday, I started teaching 10 more hours each week. My school just started a program to prepare high school graduates to study abroad. I’ve been teaching the grammar end of it, and it has been keeping me busy.

Tuesday morning I went to the office to review my lesson plans before class. One of the other foreign teachers saw me and told me something very interesting. He told me there was a crowd of people at the gate of my school. I had no idea what it was for so, I called a friend who works at the school, and I was told that one of the students had died. It seems a few weeks ago they went on a class trip in a forest preserve. At the end of the day, all of the students went back to the busses, but one was missing. The teachers looked everywhere imaginable, and could not find him. So they called the police and professional rescue personnel to look for him. They did not find him until almost twelve days later. It seems he was climbing and had fallen to his death. No one really knows why he left the group and ventured so far out. Authorities estimate that he died five days after he went missing, and was dead for a week when they found him.

I found out it was one of my students. I knew him, which is to say, I knew of him. I have 788 students that I teach this year, and it is easy for some of them to disappear into the faces when I only see them every other week. I feel so sad for him and his family.

I’ve also received several e-mails from students expressing their grief and asking for advice about how to cope. It has been such a difficult time for them. There is a lot of healing that needs to take place. Please keep the school, the students, and this boy’s family in your hearts and thoughts.

“He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man.”
-Antoine de Saint Éxupéry

2009 Shanghai International Auto Expo

2009-05-06T20:51:00.012+08:00

When I decided to come to China, I knew there were things from home that I would miss very much, and I’ve been able to handle it fairly well. One of the things that I miss the most is the annual car show that happens in Chicago every year. It has the new models for the new year as well as many amazing concept cars. It is so much fun to see the fruits of labor of some of the most imaginative and innovative engineers in the world. I always looked forward to going each year, and when I moved to China I added it to the list of things that I wouldn’t be able to do.

One night a few weeks ago, I was hanging out with a friend, and I happened to see an English newspaper from Shanghai. I started reading about the various events that were happening throughout the world. I had finished looking at the third page or so, and then I flipped to the next. The next page was a full page advertisement. It had several pictures of exotic cars, and in the middle of the ad in large letters was - 2009 Shanghai International Automobile Expo. I almost jumped out of my chair. The dates for the expo were the following week. So, I quickly made plans with a few friends to go to the expo.

We went to the show the following week. I walked in the door, and it was everything that I had hoped, aside from the Chinese Characters instead of English Words. But hey, the cars were the same, and this year they had some awesome cars. I went around to all the different exhibits examining, studying, admiring, taking pictures of, and (let’s just say it) drooling over many of the cars. I saw several that just blew my mind. Here are some of my favorites:

Hummina, Hummina, Hummina... The new H2 Hummer

I would love to drive this 3-wheeler around Changzhou!

This is the beautiful new DB9 Volante by Aston-Martin. This should be in the next James Bond Movie.

This is a concept car by Citroen. Very cool!

This one ties with the Volante for my favorite. The new Nissan concept car. Twelve cylinders in this honey!

This is the back of it. Its a little Corvetteish.

Okay, I'll stop... I could do this all day. I took around 200 pictures.

There were also some funny moments. There were many hired male and female models showcasing the cars. At each exhibit there were often large crowds of people taking pictures. I spent a lot of time fighting my way to the front to get the perfect shot of the cars that I liked. At one exhibit, there was a very large crowd. I had a difficult time trying to get close. I had to wait for many people to get their shots and then move. I was waiting for one man to move, and I happened to glance at his camera. To my surprise, he was taking pictures of one of the female models. I started to look at other cameras and noticed the same thing. I think I might have been the only person there taking pictures of the cars. Later, I asked my Chinese Teacher about it, and she said that was typical.

At any rate, I had a great time! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go, and I am already looking forward to next year!

“Ooooooohhhhhh! Shiny…”
-Stimpy,
The Ren and Stimpy Show

Little Costs and Big Gains

2009-04-21T14:15:00.002+08:00

A few days ago, I went to a restaurant that I have been to so many times before. It is across the street from my school. It’s owned by a family. I have gotten to know them quite well over the last couple of years. They also have a nine-year-old boy who just loves to talk. I was in there about a week ago, and he asked me what American Money looks like, and what I thought about Chinese Money. So, a few days ago, I went back to there, and I took some American Money.

He was fascinated by it. He was very confused as to why it was all green. In China, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100RMB bills are all different colors. He also found it fascinating that we have denominations as small as a penny and a nickel. In China, prices are only calculated to the tenth, so the smallest coin that they have is a tenth of an RMB. As we were having the discussion, the father, grandmother, and cook also joined in. They to had never seen American Money and were very curious. I’ve since come to understand their fascination. For some reason, when you see money from other countries, it seems as real as Monopoly money. It just doesn’t look real, so you can’t quite understand its economic value. We also talked about exchange rates and how much certain things cost in the States.

Before I left, I gave the little boy and the cook a dollar, a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny. They couldn’t believe it. I told them it was a gift. The father quickly realized the economics of the situation, and wasn’t going to let me pay for my food. My food cost about 65 cents. He started talking way to fast for me to understand, so I did what any other confused foreigner would do. I called my Chinese Teacher. She explained to him that it was a gift and not to worry about it. So, I paid for my meal and said goodbye. Before I left, the father told me that I have really changed their opinion of Americans. They thought that all Americans cared about was money, and they never thought they would see one giving it away. I was so happy to prove them wrong.

The people that run that restaurant are some of the sweetest people that I’ve ever met, and I’m sure that we’ll be friends for a long time.

"To be clever enough to get all that money, one must be stupid enough to want it."
- G. K. Chesterton

Time Flies Before My Eyes

2009-04-21T13:43:00.004+08:00

It seems that some promises die hard. I said that I would try to be better about keeping my blog updated, but it seems that I’ve been worse about it. Well, it’s been a crazy few months.

My eye is continuing to improve. There have been a lot of complications along the way. First, my condition was misdiagnosed. The doctor told me that I had viral conjunctivitis, but I really had viral kerititis (which is a problem with the cornea). I was also allergic to one of the eye drops that he prescribed. It got to the point where my eye was the color of blood, and I couldn’t even open it. I got really frustrated. I ended up going to a specialist in Shanghai, and he figured out the problem. He told me to discontinue the medication. As soon as I stopped taking the drop that I was allergic to, it started to clear up. He was then able to see the real problem. The virus was creating small holes in my cornea. He prescribed another anti-viral drop which eliminated the virus. However, the damage remains. It can take up to five more months for my cornea to repair itself. Right now, the vision in my left eye is a little blurry, and it sometimes gives me headaches. It is getting a little better, but it will take some time to completely recover.

Life has more or less, returned to normal. I am very happy to be back teaching again. I really missed my students. They were very happy to be able to come to visit me again.

I’ve also been spending a lot of time with friends. I’ve really been making up for those three weeks that I was quarantined.

I’m also looking forward to seeing my friend Amanda. She’ll be coming down to Changzhou to visit next week. I was just thinking the other day that I haven’t seen her in over two years. It’s really caused me to start thinking how fast time has been flying. The school year is almost over, and I’ll be home in a few months. Last week I was talking to a friend back home who is several years older that me; he told me that time really starts to go fast the older you get. Well, I refuse to get older. I might be 32 on the outside, but I’m still around 11 on the inside.

Talk to you later.
Stay young!

“Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning.”
-Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Conjunctions and Conjunctivitis

2009-02-23T16:29:00.009+08:00

Okay, so I have not been very good about keeping up with my blog. I promise that I will try to be better about it.

Well, a lot has happened in the last month and a half. The biggest thing, of course, was Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. The Spring Festival is the biggest holiday in China. I would have to compare it to Christmas in the States. During the festival (which lasts about two weeks) people usually return to their hometowns and spend the festival with their families. At midnight on the first day of the New Year, the sky erupts into a war zone of fireworks. For about an hour night seems to turn to day, and the constant sounds of exploding fireworks ripples through your body. It is truly extraordinary to witness.

During the holiday, all of the students and teachers left my school, and many of my friends left town. I was hoping to have some much-needed downtime, but that didn’t happen. Many of my friends who are studying in other cities returned to Changzhou. So, many of them called me and I met up with many of them.

I also had the rare opportunity to watch the Super Bowl. Some friends and I went to a local hotel and stayed the night. We woke up at 5:30am to go to a conference room to watch the game. The hotel had arranged a satellite connection for us. The game was announced in Japanese, which made it all the more funny.

The holidays went well, just a little busier than I had expected. Now school is back in full swing. The students returned a few weeks ago, and I have been teaching too. It is really good to see them again. I missed them very much.

This week has also seen another complication. Somehow I have managed to contract conjunctivitis (pink eye). I have no idea how, and given that I see so many students, and use so many public facilities (restaurants, busses, gym, etc.), I could have picked it up anywhere. Thankfully, it is only in one eye. I have been praying that it won’t make it to the other. Many of you have asked me for a picture, so here it is:

Aren't they lovely?

I saw a doctor this weekend. He gave me three kinds of eye-drops and a pill. This is making me crazy, because I hate eye-drops. One of my cardinal rules in life is: Never let anything touch your eye. So, it has been difficult to administer the three different eye-drops 18 times each day. I think that I die a little each time a drop hits my eye. Oh well, it’s only supposed to last for a week. I can put up with anything for a week. The doctor also told me that I could not use the computer, watch TV, teach, read, or write. He also told me that I should keep my eyes closed as much as possible. Yeah… that’s going to happen. I’ve been going a little stir crazy.

Well, that is about all that is happening here.

Talk to you soon.

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

-Helen Keller

Dumpling Party

2009-01-02T21:55:00.010+08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope that your new year has begun well. It certainly has with me. Today I had some friends come to my apartment for a Dumpling Party. So, you are probably thinking, “What is a Dumpling Party?” Well, it is not a Chinese thing, and it is certainly not a Western thing. It is the “brain child” of me and my Chinese teacher (Lily).

It started a few weeks ago. I met my Chinese teacher at Starbuck’s for Chinese class. After she taught me, we started talking about the differences between Chinese food and the food you would find in the States. Then I had an idea. What if we combined them somehow? Could it work? Lily and I started talking about it, and we came up with a few ideas. We decided to try to make Chinese dumplings with a Western twist.

So, we planned out a night to make dumplings and have some friends come over to try them out – guinea pigs. So, I invited Gill, Dorty, and Ted (Americans) and Katherine and Bay (both Chinese).
We wanted to make sure to get the opinions of both Chinese and Western people.

Lily and Bay came over early and started making Chinese Mushroom Dumplings. I made several fillings of my own too. Among them were Mexican Style, BBQ Bacon Cheddar, and Chicken Parmesan. I gave the fillings to Lily and Bay and they folded them into dumplings. I tried to fold one dumpling and it was a disaster. Lily told me to get away from them. It is no doubt, an acquired skill to make them.

Gill, Dorty, and Ted came over as they were folding the last dumplings. We started cooking them and bringing them out one at a time for everyone to try. The Mexican Style and the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Dumplings were a huge success. Everyone seemed to love them. The Chicken Parmesan wasn’t as good.

It was a risk. There was tremendous potential for disaster, but fortunately it was largely a success. If anything, it was great to hang out with some amazing people and share something that has probably never been attempted before. I’m thinking about making it an annual thing. It was an interesting way to bring in the New Year.

"At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be infinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable."
-Henry David Thoreau

Christmas Parties

2008-12-23T12:59:00.004+08:00

This weekend was the Christmas Party Weekend! It was incredible! I never expected to have such an amazing weekend. I had two different Christmas Parties. The first one was on Saturday night; this party was for teachers and friends. Sunday afternoon I had a party for my students. There was a lot of preparation involved, but we had a great time.

Saturday night I was expecting about 40-50 people, but at least 70 people showed up. Most of them were my friends from various universities. We also had people from Germany and England. It was quite the international exchange. The party was a flurry of activity. People were talking, playing games, singing, taking pictures, exchanging gifts, and hugging. I was running around trying to talk to everyone in addition to trying to keep the food levels up. The party started at six, but at nine everyone left so they could catch their buses home. Three of my friends stayed, and we talked for a few more hours. It was so much fun.

I went to bed, and slept like dead person, but then I was up early the next morning to buy more candy and food for the student party. The student party started around 11:30am. I would guess that about four or five hundred students showed up. My apartment was so crowded. It was like a small invasion. The food that I had prepared vanished within the first twenty minutes. I spent the time talking to students and taking pictures. I had such a great time. I saw so many of my students from last year, as well as students that I currently teach.

I was able to share the Christmas Story with many of them. This weekend was amazing. I’ll remember it for a long time. Now I just have to finish cleaning my apartment. That is going to take a long time. Oh well, it was so worth it!

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

Hamilton Wright Mabie

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-17T21:38:00.005+08:00

Wow, this year is going so fast. The holiday’s really snuck up on me. The last four months have seemed like an endless flurry of events. I really feel as if my feet have not yet touched the ground since I arrived here in August.

I do know that Christmas is one of the most important holidays in my country, and each year it is my greatest hope that I can communicate the true meaning of Christmas with my students, friends, and everyone else in my life here.

Each year I take one class period and explain the culture of Christmas to all of my students. Many of them know things about Christmas. Usually, their knowledge is limited to Santa Claus, gifts, and Christmas trees. In addition to explaining those things, I try to explain to them that Christmas is much more than that. I tell them the reason that we give gifts and why we started to do that some two thousand years ago. It is always so amazing to see the wonder in their eyes when they begin to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

They are so excited to get involved in the tradition. This year, I’ve had about 120 students help me with things like making Christmas decorations, setting up the Christmas tree, and preparing for the Christmas party that I have each year.

I’ll be having two parties this year. This Saturday will be a Christmas Party for teachers, friends, other foreigners, and university students. Sunday is the party for my students. This year I have 788 students, and last year I had 783. I am expecting to get invaded on Sunday. I am projecting that there will be at least four or five hundred students coming and going. This last Sunday there were about sixty students here just to help me to decorate. It will be interesting to say the least.

Although I am not in the States, it still feels as if the hustle and bustle of Christmas know no geographic boundaries. However, it is great to know that many people will come to a new understanding of Christmas and what it truly means.

Also, I would like to send my warmest Christmas wishes to all who read this. Forget the shopping. Forget the bearded fat man. Forget the lights and the trees. May you come to know and revel in the true meaning and mysteries of Christmas. God bless you all!

"Great little One! whose all-embracing birth,
Lifts Earth to Heaven, stoops Heaven to Earth."
-Richard Crashaw

Pan Wei Bo Concert

2008-12-14T20:17:00.005+08:00

Last Sunday night I had a rather unique opportunity. One of my friends was given tickets to a concert. She asked me if I wanted to go. I thought about it for a while, and I decided to go. It’s not too often that famous pop stars make it all the way to Changzhou, so I had to check it out.

The concert was held in a small sports stadium that was built within the last year and modeled after the bird’s nest in Olympic park in Beijing. I would guess that there were about 20,000 people there. One thing that I noticed immediately was that although the tickets had seat assignments, very few people sat in their seats. This was nice because my friend Dorty was able to sit by me. The tickets that we had were for seats that were not near each other. Ironically, I also saw my friend Andrew there, so he also sat by us.

The stage was an explosion of dancing lights. The setup was very elaborate. The concert was not at all what I was expecting. The headline name for the concert was Pan Wei Bo (a famous pop star from Taiwan). Now usually in the States a concert consists of the headline name and then maybe one or two opening acts. This concert was quite a bit different. There were two hosts who introduced each performance, and there were about ten groups and individual stars that performed. Each person or group would sing three songs and then leave. The next act was then introduced. There were no instruments. All of the music was sung with played-back performance tracks. It was also obvious to me that many of the performers were lip-synching. However, everyone seemed to love the concert, and they were enjoying themselves.

Three hours into the concert, Pan Wei Bo finally appeared. Everyone erupted into applause and screams. His first two songs were his most well-known hits. After he sang them, I started to notice that people were leaving; about half of the stadium had emptied out after his third song. I wasn’t sure why. His fourth song was also one of his biggest hits. After he finished, he thanked the audience for coming and then left the stage. The concert was over. The person that everyone had waited to see came out, sang four songs, and then left, and half of the paying spectators only saw two of the songs. It was certainly not a concert like any that I had ever been to before.

Although it did not live up to my expectations, it was fun to see other people enjoy it. There were a lot of people dancing and singing and screaming. The atmosphere was almost contagious. It turned into a good time after all.

“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
-Unknown

The Sichuan Restaurant

2008-12-01T21:43:00.000+08:00

Okay. This is my first blog entry. I am starting this blog to let everyone know some of the cool stuff that is happening here. I only have time to share some of the quick highlights in newsletters. This blog will hopefully let you all know what is happening here in more detail and more frequently. I'll try to update at least every week and hopefully more often than that. I hope you have fun reading it!

I'll start with an interesting thing that I witnessed today. Tonight I went to one of my favorite Sichuan Restaurants with a few friends. We were in the middle of eating when we heard an argument erupt at the cash register. One man was yelling at the manager (who happens to be a very small lady in her early fifties, also very sweet). There were also four other people in his party - three young girls in their twenties and another man in his late thirties. They were standing there and not saying a word. From our table I could hear the argument quite well, but I could not understand it all because I am still learning Chinese. I overheard several vulgar words and was able to determine that the argument was about the check. My friend Andrew translated the rest for me. Apparently, the check was about 100RMB. The man was telling the manager that he was only going to pay 50RMB. He refused to pay the entire bill because he said that the restaurant was very popular and doing very well financially, so they wouldn't feel the financial impact if he did not pay the other part of the bill. I thought Andrew was joking at first, but he was very serious. I was astonished. The man continued with his threats saying things like, "Do you know who I am?", "If I tell my friends to never come here, you restaurant will go under, because I know so many people.", "I am a very important man." He even implied that he would have some of his friends come back and damage the restaurant, if the manager did not agree to his demands. Eventually he left the restaurant screaming and never having paid the other half of the check.

I've heard many people try to get out of paying a bill with a variety of different excuses, but this was insane. "Your restaurant makes enough money, so I shouldn't have to pay." Unbelievable! In the States, managers would call the police, but that isn't really how these situations are handled here. Most of the time a compromise is reached when irrational demands are made. Situations like these are few and far between. Most of the time business is conducted honorably in any given store, shop, or restaurant. Face is of vital importance. This man lost a lot of it. I wonder how his silent friends perceived the situation. If they agreed with him, I have to think that they would have also engaged in the argument. I think his friends were embarrassed, and that the argument cost the man far more than he realized. He may have left the restaurant with 50RMB extra, but he lost his integrity in the eyes of his friends.

"If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." -Alan K. Simpson